Birmingham City Council has approved the sale of council-owned land off Lea Ford Road in Kitts Green, paving the way for a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Bus Depot. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) recently submitted a planning application for the facility, which would be built on former sewage works land. The council’s decision, made at a property meeting earlier this week, marks a crucial step forward for the project, which is part of a wider effort to transform the region’s bus network.
Council highlights benefits of east Birmingham depot
In a recent report, the council said the proposed use addresses the forthcoming closure of the Birmingham central depot. “An east Birmingham depot will provide capacity in the area and create network efficiency savings,” the report stated. “The benefits of this will include greener buses, more frequent services, simpler networks, faster and more reliable routes, whilst maintaining much needed services such as Ring and Ride.”
The council also noted that locating a depot in east Birmingham is anticipated to reduce mileage by approximately 650,000km. “[This] will result in fuel savings and reductions in overall carbon emissions in the area,” it said. “Further benefits in relation to air quality would arise from an acceleration of the bus replacement programme i.e. replacing older, diesel-fuelled buses with ones that are zero emissions compliant.”
Planning application for 110-bus electric fleet
The planning application, which is still to be officially approved, states the facility would support the operation of a full electrically powered fleet of 110 buses. The proposed depot is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) wider plan to buy up depots across the region, a key element of the move to overhaul the bus network and transition to a franchise model.
Earlier this week, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and the WMCA confirmed an acquisition deal for National Express West Midlands’ bus operations had been approved. The move is intended to save hundreds of journeys and protect thousands of jobs. Mr Parker said he would continue to push ahead with franchising the entire network, giving the public more control over fares, timetables and services.
Government backs public ownership of buses
Prime Minister Andy Burnham hailed the acquisition deal, saying: “More local buses are coming under public control. In the West Midlands, bus services in private hands were at risk of being lost so we’ve backed the Mayor Richard Parker to take bold action to save them by bringing them immediately into public ownership. This is absolutely massive. Government and local leaders have joined forces to keep vital bus services running for millions of people across the West Midlands, protecting thousands of jobs and empowering local decision making to deliver better, more affordable and more reliable bus services. This is the first major milestone in our drive to giving communities more control over their own services. That’s exactly what Number 10 North was created to deliver.”
The land sale approval and the pending planning application represent significant progress for the Kitts Green depot, which, if approved, will support the region’s shift to zero-emission buses and more efficient service delivery. The next steps involve the official approval of the planning application and the completion of the land sale, which will enable construction to begin.
